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Speed, booze and drugs blamed for fatal crash into rear of truck on Bay Bridge

Randy Thrower with Bay Bridge in the background – the place where he died in crash. Facebook photo

UPDATE; A plea deal in Queen Anne’s County Circuit Court ended with Tobin Dixon entering a guilty plea to manslaughter and all other charges dropped. The deal provided for a sentence in prison of five years but suspended all but eighteen months, which is the point of incarceration that allows the prison sentence to be served in the local jail instead of the Maryland prison system. Court records reflect that the jail term began on Jan. 25, 2017. After serving the jail time, Dixon will be on probation for two years. His record will not reflect a DUI as that charge was dropped as part of the deal.

Driver:

Tobin Joseph Dixon, 20, Sudlersville MD

Maryland Court records reflect no prior citations or criminal arrests. Maryland Transportation Authority Police Spokesman First Sgt. Jonathan Green identified Dixon as the driver in the crash on the Bay Bridge on April 2, 2016, that killed Randy Drake Thrower when the vehicle that Dixon was driving slammed into the rear of a truck that was operating in the same direction on the eastbound span. “Alcohol, drugs and speed are considered factors in the crash,” reports Green.

Front Passenger:

Randy Drake Thrower, 21, Queenstown MD (Deceased)

Rear Passenger – Driver’s Side:

Aimee Lynne Craig, 21, Millington MD

Cited on March 24, 2015, by a Maryland State Trooper traveling at 70 mph in a 55 mph zone on Rt. 301 south of the Welcome Center and paid a $90 fine.

Cited on Nov. 7, 2014, at 7:23 am for traveling at 75 mph in a 55 mph zone on Rt. 301 by Maryland State Trooper Q. Bekken; paid a $160 fine.

Cited by Maryland Transportation Authority Police Officer V. Edwards for failing to control speed to avoid a collision while operating a 2014 Chevrolet on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on Aug. 11, 2014. On Dec. 30, 2014, Craig entered a guilty plea in Anne Arundel County District Court and was fined $102.50.

Cited by Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Deputy Parks on May 29, 2014, at 5:54 pm for operating a 2014 Chevrolet southbound on Rt. 213 at Rt. 309 at a speed of 72 mph in a 55 mph zone; she paid a fine of $17.50 in a plea deal with the Queen Anne’s County States Attorney on Aug. 1, 2014.

Cited by Centreville Police Officer D. Larrimore on Oct. 18, 2013, with failing to provide a drivers license on demand and in a plea deal with the Queen Anne’s County States Attorney on Jan. 16, 2014 was fined $50.

Rear Passenger – Passenger Side:

Taylor Marie Sprecher, 20, of Banbridge Ave., Centreville MD

Sprecher was cited by Maryland State Trooper S. W. Hoffman on Feb. 21, 2016 at 2:06 am, for traveling eastbound on Rt. 50 east of the Kent Narrows Bridge at 67 mph in a 55 mph zone in a 2014 Mazda; DUI, driving vehicle while under the influence of alcohol; driving with alcohol in her blood in violation of restriction; doing a forbidden act, failing to perform required act pertaining to driver’s license; Trial date for these charges are set for May 16, 2016, in Queen Anne’s County District Court. Attorney William A. Stavros of Towson, Md., has filed in court records to represent Sprecher in this trial.

Sprecher was cited by Maryland State Trooper D. A. Pope for driving while using a cell phone on Rt. 301 on Dec. 15, 2015. In a plea deal in Queen Anne’s County District Court, she entered a plea of guilty and was fined $83.

Sprecher was cited by Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason R. Rickard for possession of a false ID under 21 on March 30, 2014, and Queen Anne’s County States Attorney Lance Richardson put the charge on the Stet Docket on June 11, 2014.

Sprecher was cited for speeding while southbound on Rt. 301 on July 6, 2015, by Maryland State Trooper Shane Mitchell; doing 71 mph in a 55 mph zone. In a plea deal on Sept. 11, 2015, with Queen Anne’s States Attorney Lance Richardson, she entered a guilty plea and paid a $55 fine.

Sprecher was cited on Oct. 22, 2013, with speeding at 76 mph in a 55 mph zone while northbound in a 2013 Kia on Rt. 301 at Rt. 313 by Maryland State Trooper K. R. Morrison. In a plea deal with Kent County States Attorney on Dec. 20, 2013, she entered a plea of guilty in return for Probation Before Judgement and paid a fine of $160.

Sprecher was cited numerous times for not displaying a driver’s permit to police officers.

The reaction of the drinking and party-hardy class to this article may be surprising to some readers and can be viewed on THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY Facebook Page. While most of the remarks condemn this news coverage for their stated reasons, many readers took issue with those who believe that the driving records of the occupants of the Mazda that slammed into the rear of a truck on the Bay Bridge after the bar-closing hour in Annapolis had no bearing on the fatal outcome.

One poster on Facebook, Patrick Weinrich, had this comment:
“I do think the way they posted the driving record was kind of irrelevant but for everyone saying they should sue you would literally have no case at all because as much as nobody would admit it these are facts… Cold.. Hard… F***** up facts but facts nonetheless and you can look up freedom of the press to find out how legal it actually is… I don’t wish death on anyone but if you put your life in danger by your own choice and potentially hurt anyone else because of your own choices how would you not expect any bad publicity…. But just remember guys if the man in the truck was the one drinking and he hit that car and killed and injured the same people that were in the car every single one of you would be enraged… I have no opinion in the matter , I could care less either way unfortunately but I would like people to actually see it from all angles.”

Susan Althouse Gray “While I feel bad for the family of the decedent, the crash was caused by alcohol. Not only were other people injured, but there was also property damage. Furthermore, other innocent people could have been killed because a group of teenagers/young adults made a poor choice. I don’t believe that this headline is disrespectful at all.”

Thomas Wilson “Don’t sit here and try to put something back on people on the Internet. Instead of people being angry, perhaps, they should turn it into something positive, to where they encourage other young adults to be responsible citizens in the world. There is nothing wrong with encouraging the family and friends to make something positive come from his death, to show the horrors of impaired and reckless driving, so that others may not suffer the same fate.”

Patricia Walker Hedges: “I just want to say thank you for your articles and posts. You put the information out there and tell it like it is. It’s just a shame that some people don’t get the bigger picture you’re putting out there… as in the article “DWI Hit Parade” that resulted in a young man’s death. Keep up the good work!”

John Ammann Jr “Getting in the car with someone who has been drinking or under the influence of anything is a risk and a choice as is driving under the influence of anything . It’s sad a young life was lost but this could have been avoided.”

Stephanie Norris “I absolutely love this article. It shows that you should NOT drink and drive, what happens when you do, and also, what happens when 3 people who lack common sense get into the car with you! We need more sharing of this so there are less accidents due to stupidity! Speed, Drugs, alcohol AND a very dangerous bridge? Basically a suicide mission to me. This could have all been prevented by everyone using their brains”

The following posts are representative of the dozens left on Facebook. Most of the comments can be summarized as the end-product of decades of giving everyone a trophy. These people walk among us, they vote, they drive cars and they believe they have a right to drive like holy terrors while impaired.

JoAnn Smith: “This is the most disgusting post I have read in a long time! Please read and contact your local government officials about this! These persons should be fired immediately! Our young people make mistakes, some fatal but laying blame before a jury does and accusing them of killing themselves is just evil!!! Posting the records of people who were not even the driver is professional misconduct! God bless the deceased and all of their loving family and friends”

Alex Abel “This is the most disgusting thing I have ever read, you are a great example of what trash journalism is. A boy lost his life and another is injured and all you write about is their past history. Sickening.”

Cate Mandes “How could a human being write and publish such a sickening article?! How awful. Trying to make the passengers look like bad people…for what purpose? A life is lost. A friend a son a brother is dead. What worst could of happened?”

Keen Johnson Jr. “It’s a shame they gotta stoop low like this. Like Someone lost a life and they wanna talk crazy bout how they drive n what not”

Dale Becraft “This is not journalism but it is irresponsible, muckraking. Who with a human heart could be so depraved as to not have any compassion for family, friends or victims. What point did it serve? None! I hope that you never have to feel the hurt and pain that you chose to inflict on others. But then again to be so inhuman is to have no heart with which to feel.”

UPDATE: Maryland Transportation Authority Police reports that charges are pending in this crash that took the life of Randy Drake Thrower, indicating that police have determined he was not driving the sedan that slammed into the back of a truck on the Bay Bridge on April 2, 2016. Those adults who accept a ride with an impaired driver simply buy a ticket to their own funeral. This is yet another case of a group of adults taking their party on the road without any regard for the lives of others or, for that matter, for their own lives. This crash was NOT an accident but a predictable outcome of choices made by adults. First Sgt. Jonathan Green of the Maryland Transportation Police reports that the names of those persons in the sedan will not be released until they have all been interviewed, as they are considered witnesses. The two occupants of the sedan who were taken by ambulance to Anne Arundel Medical Center were released after treatment.OBITUARY

Stevensville, Md. – Maryland Transportation Authority Police reports that a twenty-one-year-old Queenstown, Md., man was killed when a sedan in which he was either the driver or a passenger crashed into the rear a truck on the eastbound span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, just after the magic 2:00 am killing hour of bar closings in the Annapolis area. Annapolis is located on the Western Shore of the Bay while Randy Drake Thrower, 21, is from the Eastern Shore, the direction in which the fatal crash occurred.

A police spokesman said that drugs, alcohol ,and speed were all factors in the crash, which fortunately did not injure the driver of the truck — only the party crowd in the sedan.

THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY arriving on newsstands now

Thrower, who lived at 200 Somerset Court in Queenstown, Md., was cited by Maryland State Police Trooper D. A. Pope on Nov. 3, 2015, at 4:54 pm on Rt. 50 while westbound at Castle Marina and ticketed for driving at 73 mph in a posted 55 mph zone. Thrower entered a guilty plea in District Court for Queen Anne’s County on Jan. 5, 2016 and was fined $64.50.

Thrower was charged with two counts of driving while his license was suspended on Aug. 7, 2015, by Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Deputy Martz while operating a 2009 Mustang while southbound on Rt. 301 at Del Rhodes Ave. in Queenstown, Md. Queen Anne’s County States Attorney Lance Richardson dropped both of the charges on Oct. 8, 2015.

Maryland State Police Trooper Landis charged with Thrower with multiple counts of driving while suspended and speeding at more than twenty mph over the limit on July 2, 2015, while southbound on Rt. 10 at Furnace Branch Road in Anne Arundel County, Md. Anne Arundel County States Attorney Wes Adams dropped all of the charges on Sept. 18, 2015.

A truck on fire in another crash on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 2015. WJlA photo

Thrower was ticketed for speeding on Rt. 405 west of Rt. 301 on Oct. 22, 2013, by a Maryland trooper and he entered a guilty plea in Queen Anne’s County District Court on March 14, 2014, and was fined $90.

A speeding ticket on July 8, 2013, awarded to Thrower on Rt. 301 for traveling at 74 mph in a 55 mph zone resulted in a fine of $90 in Queen Anne’s County District Court.

On June 4, 2013, Thrower was cited in Talbot County by Pfc. Merrick for underage possession of alcohol; the charge was fined $195 and put on probation. A drug charge of the same date for less than 10 grams of pot was dropped by Talbot County States Attorney Scott Patterson.

With numerous charges for driving while suspended dropped by prosecutors, Thrower’s luck ran out on Aug. 9, 2012, at 1:15 am when he was cited by Queen Anne’s County Deputy C. Ahern. In District Court for Queen Anne’s County on April 12, 2013, Thrower was found guilty and fined $150.

From The Baltimore Sun:

A 21-year-old man from Queen Anne’s County was killed in a crash on the Bay Bridge early Saturday, police said.

A 2011 Mazda sedan and a 2014 Freightliner box truck collided on the eastbound side of the Bay Bridge in Queen Anne’s County at 2:22 a.m. Saturday, according to 1st Sgt. Jonathan Green, a spokesman for the Maryland Transportation Authority police.

Two men and two women, all over 18, were inside the Mazda, he said.

One of them, Randy Drake Thrower, 21, of Queenstown, was pronounced dead at the scene, Green said. A woman with serious injuries was flown by state police helicopter to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center. She was in stable condition, Green said.

Two others were driven by ambulance to Anne Arundel Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the box truck was not injured. MORE

FITZIES MARINA - OPEN WEEKENDS YEAR ROUND! At 6 pm on one Saturday each month the great buffet at Fitizies Marina opens with fried oysters, steamed shrimp, roast beef and more. Fitzies is located 21540 Joe Hazel Rd, Leonardtown, MD 20650 Compton. Set it on your GPS. (301) 475-1913. Click to see menu

Linda's Cafe now is mobile! Visit Linda's Cafe in Lexington Park, Md.

FISH and EAT CHEAP - Cap'n Larry Jarboe tells you how to fill your cooler instead of just fishin' Kindle, paperback, and Audible

FITZIES MARINA - OPEN WEEKENDS YEAR ROUND! At 6 pm on one Saturday each month the great buffet at Fitizies Marina opens with fried oysters, steamed shrimp, roast beef and more. Fitzies is located 21540 Joe Hazel Rd, Leonardtown, MD 20650 Compton. Set it on your GPS. (301) 475-1913. Click to see menu

Linda's Cafe now is mobile! Visit Linda's Cafe in Lexington Park, Md.

FISH and EAT CHEAP - Cap'n Larry Jarboe tells you how to fill your cooler instead of just fishin' Kindle, paperback, and Audible